Labeled
by Ella Inspired
Summary: Ray and Stella have always had a label: She, the revolutionary of Mesa and he, the tyrant of Mesa. As two opposing labels, they shouldn't work right? At least that's what Ray thinks.


**Lemonade Mouth**

**Labeled **

**By Ella**

_I don't own Lemonade Mouth._

(^^)

Raymond Beech was known to be a proud sort of guy.

Of course he had a lot of things to be proud of: captain of the soccer team, honors student, front-man of famed Mudslide Crush and labeled the hottest guy in Mesa High.

With devastating blue eyes, determination, confidence and a do-or-die attitude; he was intelligent, an athlete, a musician, and it was just a bonus that he turned out good looking too. Ray Beech was what every girl would want and every guy would try and be.

Unfortunately his personality left much to be desired.

The blonde soccer player was demanding, egotistical, stubborn as a brick, blunt to the point of being downright rude, possessive and impulsive and had the habit of acting like jerk on a daily basis.

Knowing all this and more, the label bestowed upon him remained as it was: The hottest guy in Mesa High along with the underscored, bold font **BUT: **he was also known as the Big Bad Bully for a reason.

And did he care?

No. Not really.

In fact, the notion of him being the bad guy in the cliché high school tale did nothing but amuse him.

Until of course, she came along.

Naturally his opinion changed because of a girl, because let's face it: it's always a girl.

To his credit, it wasn't just any girl. No. It was Stella Yamada. _The _girl.

Stella Yamada was no side-ornament like he thought of most girls.

She was the lead guitarist to Lemonade Mouth, a revolutionary, a fighter of oppression; an outspoken, not to be taken lightly; spitfire. She was also the leader of Lemonade Mouth. Even though Olivia White was the band's front-man, it was Stella that got them mobilized. It was Stella that got them noticed.

The half-Asian guitarist was a certified rebel with a cause.

Her fans were the student body of Mesa High; when the tyrannical reign of Ray Beech was at its zenith before the formation of the avant-garde band, she was the first and only person to stand up and fight him.

She was a musician with more personality then all of Ray's cheerleaders combined. She didn't don a varsity jacket, but her own personal style was enough to make her stand out.

She was her own label.

And really that was the start of the problem.

Their labels were like their crowns, their claims to an identity.

It gave them a purpose and gave them a standard to which they could behave. As Mesa High's Big Bad Bully, they expected Ray Beech to constantly cause trouble and uphold the status quo for which he reigned supreme; they expected him to play the part of the villain. But what about her?

If she was her own label, what exactly did that make her? Was she so special that she couldn't or didn't have to live up to any expectations people set out for her?

Inwardly he scoffed.

Of course people held her at a standard, of course people expected things of her; though he and Stella were on different ends of the social spectrum; society had long engraved its rules into the minds of the human population and even if no one was physically there to uphold them, there were always the pre-conceived ideas of the unoriginal to contend with.

As Mesa High's resident guitar goddess, Stella Yamada was expected to be the people's voice.

She was given the role of standing up for everyone else when they were too afraid to and she carried the mantle with a carefree smile and an ambitious twinkle in her eyes.

People could picture her saving bunnies; taking home stray cats and dogs and helping lost kids find their way home.

Stella was the heroine to his villain.

And heroines don't get together with the bad guy.

At least that's what society says. Unfortunately for society, Stella listened to nobody.

"What's the matter with you?" her voice stirred him from his thoughts, her hand curling around the pencil he had clutched in an iron-clad grip. His fingers relaxed in their hold, the comforting warmth of her touch easing him from the anger that brewed in his mind.

"Nothing."

A snort followed as she reached for his downcast chin and raised it so their eyes could meet. Her bright cinnamon orbs captured his, a small tug at the corner of her lips the only sign of concern.

"It's cute how you think you can lie to me."

Removing his other hand from his lap, he straightened in order to reach for her and cupping the back of her neck, he sealed his lips against hers.

Ray ignored the indignant sounds behind him.

Ever since Ray and Stella's relationship had come out, there was a huge divide in whether the relationship was legit or created to taint the labels that both teenagers were graced with.

After all, revolutionaries and tyrants were a mismatched pair in heaven.

Not that Stella cared.

He tasted her lips for a moment more as if to remind himself of that fact before their lips parted; there was just a brief glimmer of confusion in her eyes and then a clear demand: Tell me what's wrong.

His breath caressed her lips for a moment before he pulled away and leaned back into his chair, slouching: Nothing. Behind him, his cheerleaders jeered.

Undeterred, the half-Asian guitarist simply cocked her hip, crossed her arms and raised a brow at his silent, curt reply: Don't lie to me.

Ray could feel the chuckle tickling the back of his throat right before the involuntary twitch of his fingers against the desk. Sometimes he really hated it when she looked like that. Stella could get anything she wanted from him with that look and lord knows that she wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted.

Though he wasn't admitting defeat, he gave a dramatic sigh and rose from his seat; the loud screech of his chair against the tile emphasizing the sheer silence of the classroom.

Words unnecessary, she followed him into the hallway.

The blonde soccer player only paused briefly to ensure she was beside him before he strode down the hallway, their moving forms reflected in the shiny glass of the school trophy cases.

They passed all the trophies he won for the school and walked by the posters that screamed the logo she'd created.

Even their reflections mocked him.

He, wearing the royal blue Mesa High varsity jacket and she wearing her signature red, Question Authority shirt.

Everything about them, from their interests to their style seemed too far removed to be comfortable in combination but he found that he didn't care, and he knew that she didn't either.

"So why do you?"

Her question was simple, direct and to the point. Always seeing what he was trying to hide behind a façade of nonchalance.

"I don't."

"What did I say about lying to me Ray," she said teasingly as she turned to face him as they continued to walk.

Shoving a hand into his pocket, he rolled his eyes at the sight of her walking backwards. "Stell, you're going to break your neck if you keep walking like that."

"No I won't."

"Do you really want to test that theory?"

"You'll catch me before anything like that would happen," she said in a matter of fact tone.

And this was why Stella the loudmouthed, spitfire guitarist was a cliché heroine. Though she possessed all the strong qualities to survive the tale, she still had all the good qualities that made her a heroine and not a villain.

He couldn't help but shake his head at her. "You trust me too much."

"I didn't think that was a problem," Stella retorted, "though with the amount of lying you've been doing, I can't help but wonder. I mean, you've been all tense and stuff lately, what's bugging you?"

"Everyone."

"So that's about six billion people," she said thoughtfully, "I'd say that's a new record."

"Minus one," he reminded which only got her to roll her eyes good naturedly.

"Like it makes it a difference Blondie," she replied as he reached for her hand and turned her as both reached the bottom of the steps and preceded to the parking lot.

"It makes all the difference."

"Oh really?" Stella asked, gripping the back of his shirt tightly as he wrapped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close as the continued to walk.

"Mmhm," he nodded, "If that one difference is you; of course."

"That was smooth."

He pretended to be offended. "Are you actually surprised?"

"Well you certainly didn't become my boyfriend with those smooth moves."

"Ha, you're hilarious."

"I know, aren't you lucky?"

With a snort, he leaned against his car, her standing in front of him practically chest to chest. "The label's been bugging you hasn't it?" she asked, feeling his lips press against her hair.

"It isn't that big of a deal."

"You've been edgy since everyone found out," she murmured, pulling away slightly to look straight into his Pacific blue eyes. "If it bugs you so much, maybe it's better if we just stay undefined."

"Is this a breakup?"

She chewed on her lower lip, not willing to answer as her hand bunched up his black shirt underneath his varsity jacket, holding on.

Ray sighed.

"We've always had our labels Stell. We've always had to live up to them. With you being the great revolutionary of Mesa and me being the great asshole of Mesa, don't you think it's a little much too handle?"

"So you're saying we should breakup?" Her gaze was alarmed and her eyes wide, quickly he realized his mistake and amended, "No, I'm saying…I don't know how to be the label of a boyfriend. Frankly, I've never had it before."

As Mesa's Big Bad Bully, he always knew his place and how to behave. He was expected to be an ass and a prick and be hated by everyone, but how could he continue to be that way when the girl he was with was the exact opposite?

"You're scared."

"Now you're making me sound like a wimp."

Stella snorted. "Well you're being one. Last time I checked, the great Ray Beech wasn't afraid of anything."

Except maybe disappointing people, he thought as he chose to look away from her smoldering, chocolate stare. Breathing in through his nose, Ray asked, "Have you ever stopped to think that maybe you're too good for me?"

She blinked in surprise but said nothing, allowing him to process his words further, "Heroines don't pick the bad guy. People assumed that you'd end up with someone exactly like yourself, or maybe with that Delgado kid."

"Another guy, that's exactly like me? Uh, have you ever stopped to think how bad one of me is? Imagine two! Besides, I want to be with someone who _completes me _–she rolled her eyes – I don't want to date a clone. And Charlie? You're kidding me right? Have you noticed how different we are, that would never work!"

"And we're similar?"

"Duh," Stella answered with a roll of her eyes.

"You're the type of person who would never take orders; Charlie would do it because he knows what kind of fight I put up and he can't deal with it. You're the type of person who would take whatever I had to say in stride, Charlie would blow a gasket at some point and he'd resent me twenty minutes down the line. Let's face it, he may be the chilled out drummer to my hardcore guitar but we wouldn't work out because he wouldn't be able to handle me."

"And I can?"

"You're still breathing aren't you?"

"Touché."

"So other than this unnecessary insecurity of me being too good for you, is there any other psychological dilemma we need to assess?"

"I still don't know what to do with this label."

Her brow quirked in skepticism. "About being my boyfriend."

"I know it sounds stupid, but who am I supposed to be? If I'm an ass, I make you look bad. If I'm a nice guy, I make myself look whipped."

"Aren't you?"

A silence.

"They don't need to know that."

She snickered and stood on her toes to kiss his lips briefly.

"Just be you. I never expected anything more."

"And the labels?"

"Screw the labels; just Ray and just Stella are fine with me."

**FINIS**

**So yeah, I just wanted to show off a bit of Ray's vulnerable side. Methinks there would be some part of him that worried about what people thought and as a whole, what Stella would eventually think about him. Considering he was a jerk, would he remain one even after they got together, or would he use his power of tyranny for good? Hmm...**

**This one-shot's been a long-time coming but I'm having exams this month (two weeks of papers I need to pass, oh the fun) and I'm having some serious inspiration issues. My friend says it's because of age…apparently you lose most of your imagination as you grow older so to all you young writers out there: **

**Enjoy your source of awesome-ness while it lasts. **

**And if you can, don't grow up. It's a trap. **

**Anyway, here's to my amazing reviewers, thanks for keeping me going!**

DramaQueen127: **Ha-ha, glad you liked it, it was fun to write! Thanks for the info on the U-stream by the way!**

Freefallingup: **Everyone has an inner nerd, Ray's inner nerd happens to secretly read Harry Potter and Narnia xD I'm glad you like my Ray, thanks so much for your review!**

Bigbanggirl: **Would you believe I came up with that Pepsi argument during a Coke commercial? I swear I'm high on oxygen when I write, that or I'm just naturally messed up in the head, either way it's fun! I'd love to do a muli—chapter and I've written a few drafts, but none seem to stick, I'm waiting for this story to just appear now…Thanks for your review! **

Anon (1): **Aw thanks! I'd love to force everyone who knows Lemonade Mouth to read my stories, but sadly I'm not that popular. Ha-ha, I wonder if they would read it though, ha-ha! Thanks for your review!**

Fantasy500: **I'm sorry for the long wait, but high school is the biggest pain in the butt and my inspiration is running flat. Ouch. I'll try and get story 30 out soon, thanks for your review!**

PoisonedApple911: **Wow that's a huge compliment! Thanks so much! I always worry about whether the characters are recognizable; I hate it when characters are so different that they seem like totally different people. Ha-ha, you make an excellent point, looks like Stella still has a debt to pay xD Hmm…! Thanks for your review!**

The Angel of Randomsity: **I cried when my teacher told me about that. My dreams of fairies making rain, shattered by my stupid teacher. Sigh. Oh well.**

Rayella Forever: **(Bows) Thank you very much, I'm surprised people were waiting for a story from me; there are so many good writers for Lemonade Mouth! And no thanks are necessary for writing stories, I enjoy writing them. Thanks for your review! **

Anon (2): **Cool story bro. When you grow some balls and find something important to say, log-in next time, kay? **

Iheartlovinglove: **Thanks for your review; I'm glad you liked it! **

It's Ella Inspired Fan (**Eeeeeeh, I have a fan!**): **First off, let me say how flattered I am. No seriously. You made me smile nonstop for an hour; my friend thought I forgot to take my normal pills! I'm glad you like what I write, I don't think I have much talent compared to other writers but I'm happy that people enjoy what I have to offer. Hopefully I'll get one-shot thirty soon! Thanks for your review!**

**So that's it for me, thanks for reading, hope you guys enjoyed!**

Ella


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